Prince Charles visits Riyadh on Mideast tour

Heir to the British throne Prince Charles arrived in Riyadh late on Monday as part of a four-day Middle East tour, which includes a tour of an old Saudi Arabian city and a visit to a museum in the Qatari capital Doha Al Arabiya reported.

The Prince's trip to Saudi Arabia will be the tenth time he officially visited the country since he first toured the nation in 1986. It has been less than a year since Charles last toured both the Saudi kingdom and Qatar.

On Monday, Charles was welcomed in Riyadh by Prince Miteb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, chairman of the National Guard, along with Prince Muhammad Bin Nawaf, Saudi ambassador to Britain and Sir John Jenkins, the UK's ambassador to the Kingdom.

In a statement, Jenkins said: "Our two kingdoms share a long friendship, going back to the foundation of the modern Saudi state. Continuity of personal relationships, essential if we are to understand each other better, have been central to this.

"His Royal Highness' second visit to the kingdom in my time here as ambassador exemplifies our wish to engage at the most senior levels and our determination to sustain the personal touch.

"At a time of enormous turmoil and human agony in the Middle East, seen today perhaps most acutely in Syria, the Prince's advocacy of interfaith understanding and dialogue between communities is needed more than ever.

"His Majesty the King shares this deep concern. I know that he and His Royal Highness will have much to discuss about the need for reconciliation and their hopes for the region's future," the UK's ambassador to Saudi Arabia added.